Starving cancer cells of the energy they need to grow could one day provide an alternative to a commonly used chemotherapy drug without the risk of severe side effects, according to a new study.
Studying human cancer cells and mice, researchers report that a two-drug combination targeting a tumor’s energy sources could prove as effective and less toxic than methotrexate, a long-used chemotherapy drug often given in high doses to treat osteosarcoma, a bone cancer.
Osteosarcoma is the most common tumor of the bone in adults and children. It accounts for about 4% of all pediatric cancers and more than half of all pediatric bone cancers. Standard treatment for osteosarcoma includes surgery, radiation, and a cocktail of chemotherapy drugs including high-dose methotrexate, which can cause liver and kidney damage.